Obviously Hidden
by kaz456
Summary: FINAL CHAPTER POSTED! THIS STORY IS FINISHED! Just go ahead and read, you know that deep inside your soul you're longing to! And after you've finished reading, you might as well review, right? no, of course I'm not practicing reverse psychology on you!
1. Default Chapter

My name is Jake.  
And I was sick of it all.  
  
It had been another battle. This one wasn't that bad. None of us had died. And these days, that was more than enough for me. But that didn't fix the way I was feeling.  
  
No, before you can ask, I'm not crazy. But I'm not making this up either. There is a war going on. It's hidden, it's secret. But it is true. This fight is real, all too real.  
  
The enemy is the Yeerks. The short story is that the Yeerks are parasitic gray slugs that slide into your head through your ear and basically control you totally. They can be anyone- your best friend, your uncle, your parents, your teacher. I would know. My brother's one of them. I don't mean to sound depressing and pessimistic, but the facts are that the Yeerks are slowly taking over the world.  
  
But there is resistance. Me and my friends fight against them. How? Well, we have a power. Believe it or not, we can turn into animals. Now, who are we? There's my best friend, Marco. The ultimate joker. Never serious. But at the same time, he's the paranoid one, the one worried most about security. Than there's my cousin Rachel. The warrior. She's tall, thin, blonde, beautiful and always ready to fight. Lately, I'm not sure if that's a good thing.  
  
Rachel's best friend is Cassie. Cassie's the one always worried about morals. She keeps us from crossing the line. She's also our animal expert. Her parents own this barn that saves injured wildlife. That's where we meet most of the time. The other human-well, mostly human- member of our little resistance is Tobias. He broke a very important rule- he over-stayed the two hour limit. We can only stay in morph for two hours. If you go over that, then you become a nothlit, a person trapped in an animal form. Tobias now lives his life as a red-tailed hawk. I worry about him sometimes. But then again, it's my job to worry. Lastly, there' Ax. He's an Andalite, which is basically a cross between a human, a deer, and a scorpion-with blue fur. He lives out in the woods behind Cassie's barn with Tobias. The two of them are best friends- and through a bizarre string of events, Ax is Tobias' uncle. And Ax's brother was the one who broke the Andalite law and gave us our power.  
  
We call ourselves the Animorphs.  
  
I'm the leader of our group. I'm the one who has to make the decisions. The one who gets us in and out of the tough spots. And like I said before, I was sick of it all. I was sick of the fighting, of the making tough decisions. I just wanted it to end. All of it.  
  
I staggered up to my room and collapsed on my bed. It was late. Normal kids my age would be sleeping. But I'm not a normal kid.  
  
I looked in the mirror. I saw a tired kid in too-small spandex looking back at me. A depressed, tired kid.  
  
Seeing Tom had triggered the depression. Seeing him reminded me of everything. Even though the battle hadn't been too bad, seeing Tom reminded me of the chances of us winning this war. What was the point? We had been fighting for almost two years and my brother was still controlled by the yeerk.  
  
What was the point?  
  
Even after all this time, nothing had changed. Tom was still trapped in his own mind. Our resistance had just gotten weaker. Tobias was trapped in the body of a bird. Marco was more paranoid than ever. Rachel was turning into a crazed fighting machine. Cassie was losing her morals. Ax was becoming more withdrawn. And me? I was breaking down. I was sick of it all. I couldn't handle it anymore. I looked down. The knife was right there in front of me. All I had to do was lift it.and everything would be over. No more war. No more seeing Tom the way he was. It would all be done with. Maybe it was selfish, but I didn't care. I was sick of it! I closed my eyes and slowly lifted the knife. For a moment pain flooded through me. I opened my eyes and looked back in the mirror. Same tired, depressed kid with too-small spandex. But this time there was blood, slowly dripping. I felt myself falling. And right before I hit the floor, I heard a distant, familiar voice.  
  
JAKE. IT IS NOT OVER YET. YOU MUST WAIT AND SEE. YOU WILL SEE. 


	2. Capitulo dos

MARCO BRRRIIINNNGGG!!  
  
The bell rang, signifying the end of the torture known to some people as "school." I had been trapped in Mr. Parker's class for the last hour. He was this creepy old man who loved to lecture. I grabbed my books and threw them into my bag. I wanted to get out of this hellhole as soon as possible.  
  
By the way, my name is Marco. I'd tell you my last name, but why would you care? I don't need people knowing all about me. You can't trust people. You trust them, then they go and stab you in the back.  
  
On my way out of the school, I heard a voice behind me.  
  
"Ay! Marco! Man, wait up!"  
  
I stopped and turned around and inwardly groaned. It was Chase. Chase was the main man on campus. The one all the girls liked. The one all the guys wanted to be like. He was perfect. Chase didn't talk to me too much. And when he did, it was because he wanted something.  
  
"Hey Chase. Sup?" "Marco, my man! Where ya been? Me and the guys have been looking for you!"  
  
I shrugged. Should I tell him now that I had been hiding from him because as much as I hated to admit it I was scared of all the power he now had and of what he could and would make me do?  
  
"I've been around." "Cool." He smiled winningly at me and started to walk beside me. "So, Marco, you low on cash?"  
  
I stopped. "Look, Chase. I'm not getting involved in another one of your plans, alright? I got enough to deal with without you trying to get me in jail!"  
  
Next thing I knew I was slammed against the wall with his fist threateningly beside my head. "Marco, I don't care whether you like it or not! I don't have time to put up with your s**t. (A/N: sorry people, I haven't decided whether or not to cuss in this) We need a lookout. You're coming with us. You're coming with us or the whole school is gonna know about your mommy. And you wouldn't want your daddy to end up like her, would you Marco?" He sneered into my face.  
  
I shoved him off of me. He smiled and dusted himself off. "Well, I'll see you Saturday at 12 at my house. Then we'll go." He turned and sauntered away.  
  
I stared after him. When had my life gotten so pathetic? Back before, when Mom was okay, things hadn't been this bad. If only that stupid gang hadn't come to the shop where Mom happened to be in! And if only Mom hadn't tried to save the old lady next to her! Then we wouldn't be living in some cheap apartment, and Rosa wouldn't have dumped me for not laughing anymore, and Mom would be okay, and Dad wouldn't be a mess, and I wouldn't have to be the adult in the house, and I wouldn't be forced to go along with Chase in his plans to steal and hurt others.  
  
I stopped walking for a moment and looked up. I remembered something Mom had told me, back before. Back in the days when I was the class clown, when joking around was as normal as breathing. She had said, " Marco, hijo, you can choose to laugh or frown. And frowning doesn't get you anywhere, does it? So laugh. Laugh and the world will laugh with you."  
  
I glanced back down at the ground. Well, it was hard to laugh, now. And Mom herself wasn't laughing. Nothing was funny anymore.  
  
I sighed and started walking again. Suddenly I felt a prickly feeling on the back of my neck, like I was being watched. I looked around, and saw a short, black girl staring in my direction. For a minute, I stared back at her, envious. She probably didn't have to deal with all the crap that I did. She was lucky. She had a future.  
  
Did I have a future? Hey, who knows, maybe one day I would be a millionaire. Yeah, right. I didn't have time to deal with all the thoughts in my head. I was at my destination. I needed to hurry. After this, I still had to head to the mall to pick up some stuff. I sighed, and plastered on the happy-go-lucky grin that was customary for me to have when I came to visit Mom. She didn't need to be any more stressed than she already was.  
  
I walked into the building.  
  
CASSIE  
  
I watched as the latino boy strolled into the mental hospital, smiling. Why would anyone be smiling when walking into a hospital?  
  
I shivered. What was I doing in this part of town anyway? Mom and Dad would be getting worried. I needed to get home quick. After all, Mom was taking me to the mall after I did all my homework. I cut through the woods that connect to the barn that's right next to my house.  
Yes, the barn. I'm a farm girl. I decided to sit down for a moment in the woods. It was nice out.  
  
I liked sitting here in the woods. At times it felt like it was my only refuge. Not that I don't like my life. I like my life. It's simple, and it's not perfect, but I like it. I had my parents, the barn, the animals, the woods, and my few close friends. What more could I want, and what more could I need?  
I smiled to myself, glad that we had moved here. I liked the country so much more than the city. The city was bustling, with so many people, always rushing, moving, hurrying, pushing, going somewhere. Here, in the suburbs, things were calmer and serene. More peaceful. I liked it. There wasn't always something to do. Speaking of things to do, I had something very important to do.  
I got to my feet and ran home. Ran through the house, with a quick shout of "Hey Mom, hey Dad!" and threw my bags on the floor. I turned on my computer, and started typing my email to my cousin.  
  
Hey Tiffany! How are you? I'm fine. I came home and immediately started writing this cuz I know how important it is to you. By the way, you asked me if I was having any of those weird dreams again. The ones with that old man in it, telling me that "I will see." No, I haven't had any. You were right. Moving here was good. Maybe it was good for me to get away from Maurice. How is he doing? I want to know, but don't tell him I asked. Here everything is calmer. The air is cleaner, and we have a barn! I know, if you were here you would roll your eyes and tell me I need to be with people. I know you're still worried about me because of the whole Maurice thing. But I'm fine. Really, I'm fine. I'm over him. I like it here. Well, I've got to go. I'm gonna do some homework. See, I'm getting off to a good start! I miss ya, Tiff. Stay cool.  
  
Cass  
  
As I clicked the send button, I wiped a tear from my eye. The tear that came every time I thought of Maurice. I had lied to Tiffany. I wasn't fine.  
I missed him. I still loved and hated him at the same time. I wasn't over him; not even close. Even after what he did to me, I still loved him. But I wasn't going to think about him.  
I pulled my homework out, and started with math. And I smiled a little to myself. Living in this new town, starting all over again-it was gonna be great.  
  
AX "Go long, Max!" I backed up, further and further until the football sailed perfectly into my hands. I looked down at it with astonishment. I jogged back to my brother. "Sweet catch, Max!" He congratulated me.  
  
"Ax," I corrected, even though I was beaming with pride. I had decided that I didn't want to be called Max. I was Ax now. It sounded tougher.  
  
"Whatever," he shrugged. Then he grinned. "So, Ax, how's genius school coming along?"  
  
My brother's Al. I attend a special honor role school for gifted students, and just because of this he thinks that it's a perfect opportunity to make fun of me every chance he gets.  
  
"It's not genius school," I told him. "It is just a unique learning facility for those who exceed traditional or conventional limitations and expectations of students." "Whoa, no need to get all smart and philosophical on me." He smirked. Then he glanced down at his watch. "I've got to get going. I'm about to go over to Amy's house. Her old man wants to talk to me."  
  
I shuddered. Amy was Al's girlfriend. I had met her dad once, and he creeped me out. He was this eccentric old man who always acted like he knew something more than you. He was, in short, eerie. Al caught me shuddering. "Hey, Max, you wanna go somewhere when I get back?"  
I nodded, so happy that he had bothered to care that I didn't make any remarks on how he had said the wrong name.  
  
I watched as my brother drove away in his car. Al was so cool. He was my role model. But not matter how hard I tried, I would never be as great as Al was. I would always be the sniveling little brother who looked up to and worshiped the amazing and god-like older brother. He would be the one who would get all the girls, the one who won the football championship, the one who got into college on a full-paid scholarship, while I would be the one in the background. It was my destiny. I accepted it.  
  
After all, why shouldn't I? Al deserved it. He was the best. And I didn't mind the way things would be. I was always second-rate when it came to Al and me, and we both knew it.  
  
If we were in a palace or a castle, Al would have been the prince, and I would be the lowly servant.  
  
I shook my head, shaking myself out of my thoughts. And I turned and walked back into my house. 


	3. chapitre trois

For the record, I think I forgot to put the disclaimer:  
  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Animorphs, I am not making money off of this, etc. etc. blah blah blah  
  
RACHEL  
  
"Gooooo bears!" My voice penetrated the air as I launched into a cartwheel then straight into a flip, landing perfectly with a smile on my face.  
The rest of the cheerleading squad gathered around, and we performed our flawless routine.  
After the game, Mike, the leading scorer, shyly approached me. "Uh, Rachel, do you wanna go to the dance with me?"  
I smiled dazzlingly at him. "Sure, Mike. I'd love to go with you." He smiled sheepishly, than ambled away. The minute he left, a few girls from the squad ran up to me, squealing, while the rest watched with amused expressions on their faces.  
"Ohmigod! Rachel, did Mike just ask you to the dance?"  
"I cannot believe this! He is soooo hot!"  
" Rachel, you are so lucky! Rachel- Rachel! Where are you going? Rachel!"  
I smiled again as I picked up my stuff and headed over to my brand- new convertible, away from the rest of the girls.  
I backed out of the parking lot, and pulled away, aware of the envious stares the other girls were giving me, and completely aware of the fact that by Monday, my date with Mike was going to be known to the entire student body.  
  
The minute the school was out of sight the smile slid off my face, instantly replaced by a scowl. "I can't STAND this!" I yelled out into the air.  
"I can't take anymore of this crap!" I accelerated, all the while thinking harsh thoughts.  
  
The plain fact was, I was sick of it all. The whole charade of being little Miss. Perfect, captain of the cheerleading squad, making straight A's, always smiling, with the perfect looks and family, and now, thanks to Mike, soon to be going out with Mr. Wonderful.  
  
No one would believe it, but I didn't like it. I didn't like this little act that I had to put on. I didn't like this stupid private school that I attended. I couldn't take the way people stared at me in the hallways, as if I was something new and improved. I wasn't. I wasn't perfect.  
Melissa, my friend, had once told me that "girls would give up their arms to be you for one week."  
I had, of course laughed cheerily and said something along the lines of, "Don't be silly Mel! No one thinks that!" Even though I knew it was true.  
And you know what else was true? I would give it all up like that. I would so easily trade my life for someone else's. You know why?  
  
Because my life was all fake.  
  
I didn't even really exist. Me, the real Rachel, only existed in my mind. The other Rachel was the perfect yet unreal one.  
I stopped my car at the side of the road and cried. I just cried. I cried because I was losing myself, and I didn't know just who I was anymore.  
Some old man in a car glared at me and honked at me as he was driving past. I flipped him off; I wasn't in the mood.  
  
Slowly I regained control. I brushed my hair, and reapplied my make- up. Then I drove myself to the only place where I could blend into the crowd; the mall.  
  
TOBIAS  
  
I sat outside the entrance to the store. The old man at the check-out counter was giving me odd looks, but I ignored him. I sighed, ran a hand through my hair, put my hood back over my head, and thought to myself.  
  
Life Sucks. . "Thinking deep thoughts, Toby?"  
I looked up to see my best friend, Jen, standing over me, a half annoyed, half amused expression on her face. She plopped down next to me and waited for me to answer her question.  
  
"Am I ever?" I asked her in return.  
  
"Shut up. I asked you a question; you're supposed to respond with an answer. It's not that hard of a concept to understand."  
I sighed again. She pulled a cigarette out of her pocket and started to light it. I glared at her. She glared back, then threw it out.  
  
"I don't get what your problem is with cigarettes, Toby. It's that same stupid thing you have with alcohol. Why the hell won't you try them?"  
  
I just sighed. There was no way I was telling her that through my uncle, I had had too many bad experiences with both.  
  
So instead I just said, "Jen, one day those things are gonna kill you. And then you're gonna regret ever using them."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She examined me. "You know, if you would just take that stupid hoodie off your head then you could be really cute."  
  
"Thanks, I think." "Whatever," she said again. Then she perked up. "Me and Dan are going to that club later tonight. Want to come?"  
  
Dan was Jen's boyfriend, and my other best friend.  
  
I looked at her. She sighed. "Yes, there will be multitudes of drunk people and high people, but come on!" I just shook my head. I could imagine my uncle's reaction if I stumbled into the house, high and smelling of beer. "Toby, you never let yourself have any fun." She jammed her hands into her pockets. I looked at her. She was wearing a black shirt, baggy black pants, had dyed her hair from blonde to a dark brown and her eyes were outlined in black. I smiled. She looked like typical Jen.  
  
She saw me looking at her. "What?"  
  
"Nothing," I said. I looked back up and thought to myself again. Why was I even here? Probably because I had nowhere else to go, and I definitely didn't want to go home. I didn't want to have to face my uncle, who would most definitely be drunk at this time. Then again, wasn't he drunk at almost every time? "Toby, what thoughts are going through your head?" Jen turned to examine me again. She pursed her lips and looked me up and down. "You're always in your own little world. You never let anyone know what you're thinking, not even me or Dan." She looked at me again. Then her eyes narrowed. "You're not worried about this stupid club tonight, are you?"  
  
Actually, Jen was right. I worried a lot about her and Dan. They were always out, smoking and drinking and partying. I did worry about whether or not they were okay. She whacked my head. "Stop worrying, Toby. We'll be fine. Now what are you going to do?"  
  
"I'm.I'm actually headed over to the mall," I lied. I knew if I didn't say anything, she would make me go with her and Dan.  
  
She looked at me suspiciously, than shrugged. "Fine. Okay, Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." Just like that, she was gone. I slowly got up and started to walk to the mall, still thinking my deep thoughts.  
  
JAKE  
  
The mall was full of people. It was a Friday night, but I hadn't expected it to be so crowded. There were families, teenagers, little kids, and elderly people. Speaking of the elderly, I had just ran into one guy and knocked him down. I helped him up, and he said "Thanks, Jake." And walked away.  
  
I gawked at him as he strolled away casually. How did he know my name? What was going on? Was I going crazy?  
A quick glance down and I realized I was still wearing a name tag with the words, MY NAME IS JAKE on it. I ripped it off and threw it in the trash can.  
  
I needed to get back to what I was here to do. My one year anniversary with my girlfriend, Amanda, was tomorrow. And I needed to get her a gift to let her know that I did care. (A/N: aww, isn't it sweet that he remembered?)  
  
I had no clue what to get her. I should have asked someone to come with me to help me choose, but I hadn't even thought to ask.  
  
For the past couple of days I had been zoned out. I had no idea why, I just felt like I wasn't in the same place as everyone else. I hadn't been able to concentrate, and my mind kept jumping randomly from topic to topic.  
Like in the basketball game. We were in the final seconds, and I had the ball, when all of a sudden I had wondered who the enemies were. Luckily, I had snapped back to attention in time to shoot the ball, and we won.  
  
I was off topic again. I was supposed to be getting a present for Amanda. Beautiful Amanda, who was always there for me.  
  
I spent a few minutes thinking dreamily about Amanda. I wandered randomly into some clothes store; I wasn't really thinking. I was still in daydream mode.  
Suddenly something strange happened. All the electricity in the mall went off. What the hell was going on?! I heard screaming, and people running, which was stupid. I mean, it was dark, no one could see anything, so it was dumb to panic and to run.  
At least that's what I thought until my eyes got used to the dark and I saw the entryway to the store starting to close automatically (it was one of those big cage gates that starts to close when the electricity goes off). Then I was with the screaming crowd, trying to get out so I wouldn't be trapped in the stupid store.  
But I was too late. I saw the store clerk guy slip out, and then the gate had closed, and I was trapped.  
  
But I wasn't alone. 


	4. capitolo quattro

MARCO  
  
I was stuck. Stuck in a clothes store in the mall. This was bad. I had no idea what was going on. I had to get out of here. Who was gonna watch after Dad if I was here?  
  
"Shit!" I heard a loud voice say.  
  
There were other people here? "Is anybody else there?" I called out cautiously.  
  
"No, I'm actually on Jupiter and I'm communicating using my super powers," the same voice said, full of sarcasm.  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was a crime to ask a question!" I shot back.  
  
The person sighed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."  
  
"It's okay." I wondered if there were any other people besides us two in here.  
  
As if on cue, I heard another voice say, "Does anybody see a light or a flashlight around here?"  
  
"Here's one," said another disembodied voice.  
  
"Okay, this is starting to freak me out," I muttered under my breath.  
  
"Here we go!" Suddenly a lantern was turned on near the front of the store. "Anyone else who's in here, come near the front!"  
  
"Come into the light," I muttered to myself as I slowly and cautiously moved to the front of the store.  
  
And that's when I saw everyone. All of them looked to be about my age. There was a guy wearing mostly black with a hoodie, hidden back in the shadows. Then there was an astonishingly beautiful blonde, standing in the middle, glancing warily at the rest of us. Another big guy who had a strange aura of command around him. A guy who was fidgeting with his advanced-looking watch, and lastly the short black girl I recognized as the girl I had seen across the street just a few hours ago. I made no signs of recognition towards her; I didn't know her and I didn't know whether or not she could be trusted.  
  
"Jake?"  
"Rachel?" The big guy and the blonde girl seemed to know each other, or something. The black girl voiced what I was thinking.  
"Hey, do you guys know each other?" The blonde turned and said, not very proudly, "We're cousins."  
  
"Oh." The black girl looked at the rest of us. "Look, we might all be here for awhile. Why don't we at least tell everyone else our names?" She smiled kindly at us. "I'm Cassie. Who are you?" she asked, pointing at me.  
  
I considered for a minute. Should I tell a fake name? I didn't know these people. Then I sighed. There was no point. "I'm Marco."  
The kid with the fancy watch looked up at all of us. "I'm Ax."  
  
"Tobias," came from the guy in the shadows. "And I'm Rachel, and that's my cousin Jake," said the blonde girl in a nice but a little impatient tone.  
  
"Now what are we gonna do?" she asked, turning to her cousin.  
He shrugged and looked around at all of us. His gaze fell on techno- watch kid. Ax, that was his name. Strange name, in my opinion. "You okay? You don't look so good."  
  
He was right, Ax looked a little green. "I'm fine," he insisted. Jake, the big guy, shrugged again. "Okay."  
"Does anybody have a cell phone?" I asked. I needed to tell Dad that I was alright.  
"I do!" The blondie called out. What was her name again? Rachel. She held out the expensive phone. "Free nights and weekends!" she said with a perky smile.  
"Congratulations," I muttered under my breath. I took the phone, moved away from them a little, and proceeded to call my house.  
  
"Hello?" A tired voice asked.  
  
"Dad? It's me, Marco. I'm trapped in the mall."  
  
"What? Oh, Marco?"  
  
"Yeah, Dad, it's Marco. I'm stuck in the mall."  
  
"Oh. Do you need me to come and get you or do you want your mom." His voice trailed off, as he suddenly realized that what he had said was impossible.  
"No Dad, I'm fine. I just wanted to let you know. I'll be home as soon as I can. There's some food in the fridge if you get hungry, I think there's some leftover chicken or something. Be careful, Dad."  
"I will," He said unconvincingly. "Love you, Marco." I was surprised that he had remembered to say that.  
  
"I love you too, Dad," I choked out.  
  
CASSIE  
  
"I love you too, Dad," I heard the Latino boy, Marco say. For a minute I thought his voice sounded thick with emotion. But no, I must have been imagining it. I was fascinated with the situation I was in. I was trapped in a store with all these people, all these different kinds of people.  
  
"Yo. You wanna use the phone?" Marco asked me. I nodded. But before I started dialing, I looked back up at him.  
  
"Were you the guy I saw walking into the hos- walking around?"  
  
He gave me a look, then nodded. And walked away.  
  
Me and my big mouth.  
  
I called my mom's cell. She had been in the mall too, just in a different part. I let her know that I was safe.  
  
Tiffany would laugh if she knew about where I was right now. I had just written an email to tell her about how things were so much calmer here, and how everything was peaceful and nothing happened, and now I was randomly trapped in a store in the mall, with a bunch of people I didn't know, with no electricity at all and no light except for the lantern.  
  
Wait. This was a pretty extreme situation. Why wasn't I freaking out?  
  
If it was possible, I actually felt..safe. I didn't know these people, but I felt safe with them for some reason.  
  
Well, with almost all of them. There was a small exception. The one called Jake. He seemed like a nice guy, a guy who could take charge without being bossy.  
But hadn't Maurice seemed like that too?  
  
NO. No thinking about Maurice. Why did every topic have to lead back to him?  
  
"Hey, you okay?" It was the blonde girl, Rachel. She had a vibe around her, one that said 'Bow down and worship me, please.' She smiled encouragingly at me.  
  
"I'm fine," I told her.  
  
"I'm Rachel," She told me, still flashing that million-watt smile. "But I guess you already knew that!"  
  
"Yeah, and you know that I'm Cassie," I said. Suddenly I blurted out, "What's it like to be so perfect?"  
  
What? I hadn't meant to say that! I had wanted to thank her for asking me if I was alright. Instead I had come out with some stupid question.  
  
She looked at me. For a minute, it looked like her smile had wavered.  
  
"I'm not perfect!" She said laughingly. Then, in a lower tone, almost a threatening tone, she repeated it. "I am not perfect."  
"I'm sorry," I told her. What for, I wasn't sure.  
  
She looked at me again. "I'm not perfect," she said again quietly. She looked about to say something else, when I heard another voice.  
  
"Um, can I use that phone, please?"  
  
AX  
  
The two girls stared at me.  
  
"I need to call my brother," I explained.  
  
They kept staring.  
  
"Um, did you know that Canada's system of government is quite similar to ours?" I asked, getting nervous and babbling.  
  
They still stared. The blonde one cast me a look, one that quite clearly said, 'You are a freak who needs to get a life, and get one fast, but that's okay.' The shorter one, Casey, I think, handed me the phone.  
  
"Thanks," I told her. She just shook her head, and gave me a curious glance.  
  
I dialed Al's number.  
  
"Al speaking."  
  
"Al, it's Ax!"  
  
"Ax?"  
  
"Max! Hey, I'm trapped here at the mall, but I'm okay, can you tell Mom and Da-"  
  
"Max, or Ax, or whatever, look, I'm kind of busy. Think you can call back?"  
  
"Well, ok, but I'm stuck here in-"  
  
"Thanks, Max! Bye."  
  
I looked down at the phone. He had hung up on me. Oh well. He was a very busy person, I could always call him back.  
  
The short girl was still looking at me. "Did your brother just hang up on you?"  
  
"Well," I fidgeted, and started playing with my watch, something I did when I was nervous or bored. "He's really busy. He's captain of the football team, president of NHS, he's in all honors classes, and he's in about three other clubs or organizations. Plus, he told me that he was going over to his girlfriend's house. So, I really should have known-"  
  
"He's your brother," She interrupted. I had no response to that.  
  
"He's really busy," I said again lamely.  
  
"Yeah, I guess you know him better than me. Sorry for getting into your business. I think I'm having trouble keeping my mouth shut today." She kind of moved a little away from me.  
  
I took a deep breath, feeling panicked. Not just from what the Casey girl had said. I was feeling claustrophobic. I hate being in small, closed in places. True, the store wasn't that small, but it was definitely closed in.  
  
I told myself two things. 1.) To breathe 2.) That Al had had a reason for hanging up on me  
  
Somehow, neither of the thoughts was helping me. 


	5. kapittel fem

RACHEL  
  
Well, wasn't this just great?  
  
What a stupid, stupid situation to be in! How had I gotten myself stuck in a room with a bunch of stupid, stupid people in the store of this stupid, stupid mall.  
  
Okay, maybe it wasn't just the stupid situation that was getting on my nerves. It was the fact that, with the exception of my cousin, I hadn't been around these people for more than twenty minutes, and that Cassie girl had already judged me as the "perfect one."  
  
I just couldn't escape, could I? I would always be branded as that stupid perfect girl. God, I hated that stupid word! Not that anyone knew. I had to put on my act. There was no way that any of these people were gonna see the rage that was inside of me, boiling, making me ready to explode at any moment.  
  
I had to get out of here. "Jake. How do you think we're going to get out of this place?"  
  
He snapped up at the sound of my voice. The truth was that Jake and I had never actually gotten along. We were both the popular kids, both the cool ones. The difference was that he liked his role, and I despised mine. So somehow, we just didn't get along that well.  
  
He shrugged in response to my question. "I don't know. I figure the electricity will come back soon. It's not like we're gonna be stuck here all night." He retreated back into his own little world.  
  
What was wrong with these people?! We were trapped! We were all supposed to be freaking out and yelling and grinding each other's nerves! We should have at least been talking to each other, trying to figure out how to get out of this mess! But no, everyone was all nice and calm and in their own thoughts. Well, maybe not nice. That Hispanic boy had been pretty rude to me when I offered him the phone. But everyone was still calm and in their own thoughts.  
  
Before I could stop myself, I was letting out some of the anger that had been bottled up inside of me for so long.  
  
"What is wrong with all you people?"  
  
TOBIAS  
  
"What is wrong with all you people?" I heard the blonde girl shout. Everyone turned to stare at her.  
  
I smirked to myself. It was inevitable that someone would crack. Although I had thought it would be the kid looking sick. I hadn't suspected it to be that blonde girl. What was her name again? Who knows, I didn't know any of their names. And I doubt they remembered mine.  
  
Ignoring the girl's sudden outburst, I went to take the cell phone that everyone had been using. Quickly I dialed the number of my house-no, my uncle's house. No answer.  
  
I dialed his cell phone. "Hello?"  
  
"It's Tobias."  
  
"Where the hell have you been, boy?" He shouted. I was puzzled. When did he care about where I was?  
He kept on yelling. "Your damn friend's been pestering me, trying to look for you!"  
"What?" Who? Why would anyone be looking for me?  
  
"Tobias?" It was Dan. His voice sounded flat, very un-Dan-like. "Dan? Where are you? What's going on? Are you with Jen? Why are you with my uncle?"  
"Tobias." I heard him choke for a minute. It sounded like he was trying to suppress a sob. What? Dan, crying?  
"Tobias," he continued. "Me and Jen..we were with some people. and they'd been drinking.and.the car.it crashed.it's my fault....we should have walked.why didn't I listen when she said we should have walked?"  
  
"Dan!" I shouted, not caring if the other people heard me. "Dan, what are you talking about?! What about you and Jen?"  
  
"Jen." His voice cut off, and I heard another choked sob. "Jen.she's dead. I'm sorry, Tobias. I loved her, and it's my fault. she's dead! And the last thing she said..the last thing she said was your name."  
  
Shock. Jen? Dead? This had to be some kind of cruel joke. Jen couldn't.she wouldn't.  
  
"Tobias, she's dead. And the last thing she said was your name. And I figure." His voice got calm. Deathly calm. "I figure that if you were the last thing she said, then you should be the last person I talk to."  
"Dan? What do you mean, the last person you talk to? Dan? DAN! DON'T DO THIS!"  
"I'm sorry, Tobias. But, I can't.I can't go on..she was my life. And now, because of me.she's dead. SHE'S DEAD!"  
"Dan, come on, don't do this, man! I still need you! Dan, she wouldn't want-"  
"She wouldn't want?" He laughed harshly. A cold, scraping sound. "She didn't want to die. She didn't even want to get in the fucking car. But I made her. So I deserve to.I deserve to die.." He stopped for a minute. I couldn't talk. I couldn't.  
He continued. "Thanks, Toby. Thanks for being there for me, for both of us. Don't give up, you don't deserve what we both got. See ya, man."  
"DAN! DAN, DON'T DO THIS!"  
  
It was too late. The line was dead. Like Jen. Like Dan. Like my parent. Like my life.  
The phone slid from my hands. I fell to the ground.  
  
"Are.are you okay?" It was, of all people, the blonde girl. I looked up at her. I wanted to kill her. This.this girl got to be alive, while Jen and Dan, my only friends ever, were dead.  
  
"No. I've gotta get out of here!" I stood up. The only thing running through my mind was to get out, to get away, to make this all unreal, to go back in time when I was sitting outside with Jen, talking about useless things.  
I staggered to my feet and turned. Maybe if I ran hard enough, I could slam into the wall and escape. Escape from all of this, escape to a place where all the people I had ever cared about were still alive. Alive, not dead.  
  
"Stop." The Barbie girl jumped in front of me. She glared at me with icy blue eyes. Icy eyes like Jen's. Jen, who was dead. Dead. Jen could tell me what to do, but what right did this prom-queen have? She didn't even know me. She didn't know what hell I had been put through all my life.  
  
"Get out of my way." I growled.  
  
"No." She said simply. I raised my hand to push her out of the way when the big guy, Jake, or something, stood in front of me too.  
  
"No," he echoed.  
  
JAKE  
  
"No," I told him.  
  
I actually had no idea what I was doing. Some dumb little voice inside of me had made me step in front of the guy, Toby or something like that, and stop him from doing whatever he had planned to do.  
  
The other three people looked at us. I didn't blame them. I would probably be staring too if I had just seen some girl yell at us randomly, then some guy start flipping out after a phone call while said girl and her cousin stepped in front of said guy to stop him from carrying out whatever he had planned.  
  
He looked at me. Straight in the eye. Then he turned to Rachel.  
"Get. Out. Of. My. Way." He said, slowly, annunciating each word.  
  
"No," She said again. I was surprised. This was unlike Rachel. I didn't know her too good, and I didn't get along with her that well, but I did know that Rachel was your typical pretty, popular girl who was envied by everyone, and whose life was based on family, cheerleading, school, and her tight circle of friends.  
  
I had never seen her as a crazy, stubborn, indifferent girl who actually cared about others. But maybe the situation had brought out a different side to her.  
  
Which situation was I talking about?  
  
The two of them were still glaring at each other. There was silence in the room. He spoke first.  
"Get out of my way, Barbie."  
"My name is Rachel." She told him. "And I am not letting you hurt yourself, Tobias."  
  
Hurt himself? What was she talking about? Then it clicked. No wonder she had been standing in front of him! He had gotten some bad news from the phone call and had been so mad he was gonna try and kill himself, or something. Boy, did I feel stupid for not having seen that.  
  
Slowly I backed away from them and stood next to the other girl, Cassie. Maybe not such a good idea, I realized a moment later.  
  
"What is going on here?" Cassie yelled. "Don't you guys feel it? I feel like I've known all of you!"  
  
"Okay, now she's gone psycho, too." I heard Marco mutter.  
  
For some reason, I felt mad when he said that.  
  
"She's not psycho!" I yelled. All of a sudden I was mad. "She's not psycho! Because I feel it too!"  
  
Woah. Now where had that come from? But it was true. I did feel something. I wasn't sure if it was the feeling that I had known all these people before, but I felt something.  
  
I saw Marco open his mouth to say something, when we suddenly heard humming.  
  
We all turned our gazes towards the entrance of the store. The lights snapped back on. I blinked, surprised by the sudden light. Then I noticed that the gate that had kept us trapped in this stupid store was opening. And the person lifting the gate up was a little old man. He stood there humming a cheery tune.  
  
Ax was the first one out of the store, with the rest of us close behind him .  
  
"Thank you, thank you!" Ax was saying to the old man.  
  
"What happened to all the electricity? Marco demanded. "We were trapped in there for over an hour!"  
  
Just an hour? It had felt like a day.  
  
The old man shrugged and smiled. "Sorry kids," he said, not answering the question. "We had a few technical difficulties." Then he started to amble away.  
  
But wait.there was something familiar about him. Something that I couldn't put my finger on..  
  
"Hey!" I hollered after him. "You were that man I ran into!" He smiled again and came back towards us. He nodded encouragingly, like he was expecting something more.  
  
"You know who you remind me of? You look like my teacher, Mr. Parker," Marco said suspiciously. "You aren't him, are you?"  
  
The old man's smile got a little bigger. "You're that man I flipped off!" Rachel shouted. "You flipped him off?" I asked in disbelief.  
  
She lowered her head. "I.I wasn't in the best mood."  
  
"You're my brother's girlfriend's dad!" Ax said. The color was slowly returning to his face.  
  
"You were that man at the check-out counter, weren't you?" asked Tobias, not looking like he cared too much.  
  
The old man's smile was practically from ear to ear. He turned to Cassie. "Do I remind you of anyone?" He asked.  
  
"Yes," She said. "The man from my dream. The one telling me that I would see."  
  
"Do you see?" he asked her.  
  
She shook her head. "No."  
  
She wasn't the only one. I personally had no idea what was going on. I looked up to ask the old man what was happening, but he was gone.  
  
"Okay, that's typical. He's the classic guy who knows everything who disappears whenever you need to find something out," Marco clarified.  
  
"I've gotta go," Tobias said.  
  
"No!" Cassie said. She looked around at all of us. "There's something strange going on. First all the electricity goes out and leaves us all trapped together. Then it comes back on, thanks to a little old man who all of us have seen in different disguises. Then these feelings. this is no coincidence. Something is happening. We need to meet to figure out what. How about we all meet here at the food court tomorrow around 12? Please." She gave us all pleading looks.  
  
"I don't know if I can," Marco said.  
  
"Please," She said again. "Let's just meet here tomorrow, figure this thing out, then we can all go back to our separate lives where we don't know each other."  
  
Somehow I didn't think that would be possible.  
  
"What makes you so sure that we're going to figure this thing out tomorrow?" Marco countered.  
  
"I'm not sure. But what is there to lose?"  
  
"Whatever. Okay, tomorrow. Bye." Tobias left, not giving us another look.  
  
"There is something wrong with that boy," Rachel said under her breath. I don't think anyone heard her but me.  
  
"I need to leave too," Marco said. He glanced down at his watch, then ran off.  
  
Rachel nodded. "Bye!" She called out cheerfully. Did she have split personality or something? All my life I had known her to be that peppy cheerleader girl, and then in an hour, I had seen a side to her not known to anyone else.  
  
Ax shrugged, mumbled something about his brother maybe not telling his parents about him being trapped, and he left too.  
  
It was just Cassie and me.  
  
"How do you know everyone will come?" I asked.  
  
"They will." That was all she said. And then she walked away.  
  
What had happened to my life? A few hours ago my biggest concern had been what to buy Amanda. And now, it was if a little disappearing old man knew what was in store for me and five other very strange people.  
  
Speaking of Amanda, I still hadn't gotten her a gift o. And that had been my whole purpose for coming to the mall. Oh well. I'd pick her up some flowers or I'd take her out to dinner.  
  
I sauntered out of the mall, not aware of what the future might bring. 


	6. chapter six

A/N: Wow, I'm surprised that you've actually read to this chapter. Thanks for either being interested enough to want to know what happens or for being bored enough to still be reading. Also, thanx for reviewing. it gives me such a warm feeling in my heart. no, I'm not crying from happiness, there's just something in my eye. *sniffle. okay well go ahead and read. Have a fun time!  
  
MARCO  
  
I was asleep. I was asleep and I was dreaming of a world where I was still with Rosa, and we were at the movies together, laughing and having a good time.  
  
My dream world was interrupted by the phone ringing. The ringing was a big slap across the face, reminding me of the cold and harsh reality.  
  
"Hello?" I said groggily.  
  
"Hey Marco. Just checking to make sure that you're still coming." It was Chase.  
  
I groaned mentally. I had forgotten all about the stupid plan he had.  
  
"Chase, man.I don't think I can do it anymore." "What do you mean?" He had dropped all pretense of being friendly.  
  
"Chase, I'm sorry man. But if anything happens to me, my dad will crack. I'm all he's got."  
  
Chase was silent. Then he said, quietly. "You sure, Marco? Let me give you a minute to reconsider. Cause you know what I'll do if you drop out of this."  
  
"I was never in it!"  
  
"Think about it, man. I'll give you a minute to think."  
  
I sat there and thought. If I didn't do it, than he would make my school life a living hell. He would tell everyone about my mom and her "condition." He was the only one who knew, because one day he had seen me walking into the hospital. After he told everyone that, he would come after me, and harass me with all his homeboys. School would become unbearable. And another thing, if I didn't do it, he might come after my dad.  
  
But if I did do it, I could get killed, or put in jail. I could jeopardize my chance for a future, and I would end up hurting innocent people. The police would write me off as Hispanic street trash. And if my dad lost me, he would most certainly crack.  
  
Which one had a greater risk? Which one?  
  
"Chase, man." He knew what I was saying.  
  
"Alright Marco. Your choice. I'll remember this. I thought we were friends, but I guess not. And if we're not friends, then we enemies."  
  
I was silent. I knew that I had just guaranteed myself about five very big, very strong enemies.  
  
"Bye Chase. Good.good luck."  
  
He laughed coldly. "Bye Marco. Watch your back."  
  
I hung up the phone and looked down at the receiver. Had I made the right choice?  
  
I looked over at the clock. Eleven. How had I managed to sleep in until eleven? Suddenly I remembered how I had agreed to meet Cassie and all of them at twelve. Why had I agreed? They were all crazy. All of them. Why was I always getting myself into these stupid situations?  
  
I stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen. I wrote a note for my dad telling him that I was going to hang out with some friends and would be back later.  
  
If my dad still knew me like he used to, he would have been able to tell that that was a lie. I didn't have friends anymore. When I lost Rosa I lost everything. Everything.  
  
I smiled faintly to myself. Rosa and I used to refer to each other as "my everything." And now, it was true that I had lost my everything.  
  
Well, at least I could make myself smile. That was an improvement. Could I be regaining my sense of humor after meeting those people? Was it possible?  
  
Was anything possible anymore?  
  
CASSIE  
  
Hey Tiffany! How are you? I know I just wrote you an email yesterday and you probably haven't read it, but I feel like writing this to you now. You won't believe what happened to me yesterday. I actually got trapped in a store in the mall with six other people when all the electricity went out! Doesn't that sound like something that would happen in a book, not in real life? And to make everything even more strange, I am about to go and meet all the people I got trapped in the store with again! They're all kind of.different, so I guess I'll describe them to you. You say I can analyze people well, so here goes.  
  
First, there's this guy named Ax. Strange name, I know. He seemed really smart and really claustrophobic, LOL. He was a kind of pretty guy. He had this thing with his brother. you know, like he really adored him, but his brother didn't really care about him at all. And then there was this other guy, Marco, I think was his name. He was Hispanic (and he would have been cute if he smiled more!) And he was really.I don't know, paranoid, maybe? And like, not trusting. I saw him walking into a mental hospital; I don't know if that has anything to do with it. The only other girl in there was named Rachel. You know her type: rich, pretty, popular, perfect, nice to all the people not as good as her. But it seems like there might be something more to her. You know, like maybe she's more than just an airhead. I don't know, I could be wrong. The other guy there was Tobias. I don't know what was up with him. He called someone and got so upset that I think he was going to maybe kill himself. He didn't tell anyone what happened though. He didn't tell anyone anything about him. I didn't see how he looked cause he wore this hoodie thing the whole time. The last guy was Jake. He was, believe it or not, Rachel's cousin. He was a responsible, dependable, big, take-charge kind of guy. Handsome. Nice. Sweet. Yes, I know what you are thinking: He's just like Maurice. In other words, the kind of guy that I would fall for. But I'm not. Falling for him, I mean.  
  
Okay, I really have to go. Mom's about to drop me off. She really didn't want to let me go back to the mall after getting trapped there, but Dad and I finally convinced her. Actually, I kind of have a plan for all six of us. I mean, there's no way that it was an accident that we all got stuck together, right? Tiff, please tell me whether or not I'm overanalyzing this. PLEASE write back; I really need to talk to you. I miss you sooo much. Love ya!  
Cass  
  
I turned off my computer, grabbed a jacket and headed downstairs. I was pretty excited about this whole thing. I had never been involved in something so strange like all the events that had happened yesterday. I stopped when I overheard my parents talking.  
".still don't feel right about letting her go."  
"She's a big girl. She can take care of herself."  
"Like she took care of herself with Maurice? That's part of the reason we moved here, you know. But we can't be moving every time she gets into a bad situation!"  
"She'll be fine. Come on, She's gonna be coming down soon, she might hear us."  
  
I swallowed. It was too late. I had heard all of it.  
  
They were still worried about me. Like Tiffany was. Couldn't anyone just leave me alone? Why couldn't they understand that there was nothing wrong with me?  
  
"Cassie, it doesn't matter what the world thinks. The important thing is what you think."  
  
That was something Maurice had said to me, back before. Before he turned into a lying, cheating, mean, cruel person. In other words, before he turned into what he was now.  
  
Maurice. It was always about him. Would there ever be a time when I could get him off my mind, when I wouldn't be thinking about him every other minute?  
  
Maybe. Maybe not.  
  
I started back downstairs. The thoughts about Maurice would have to come at a different time. Right now I had plenty of other things to worry about.  
  
AX  
  
Should I ask him? He was really busy. But I needed to know.  
  
I softly knocked on Al's door. "Al? Can I come in?"  
  
He was sitting at his desk, doing homework. He looked up when he heard me. "Sure. How you doing, Max?"  
  
"Ax," I reminded him again.  
  
"Oh yeah, Ax. So what's up?"  
  
I fidgeted. "Nothing. I was just wondering.you know, yesterday? Why.why did you hang up on me? And why didn't you give mom and dad my message?"  
  
He stared at me for a minute. Then he laughed. "Oh, yeah, then. Sorry. I was really busy. And I guess I just sorta forgot." He shrugged, then went back to his homework, ending the conversation.  
  
But I was getting mad. He had just brushed me off like a bug or something. "Too busy for your brother?"  
  
He looked up again, apparently surprised I was still there. "Look, I said I was sorry. I was with some of the guys, we were busy."  
  
"I was trapped in a store! You know how easily I get claustrophobic! Yet you were too busy to even help in the most nominal way possible!"  
  
He was even more surprised. I never raised my voice to him. Never.  
  
"Max, I said I was sorry. Now look, I need to get some work done."  
  
"My name is AX!" I shouted as I stormed out of his room.  
  
I was mad. I needed someone to blame. It was finally becoming clear to me that I hadn't ever really been one of my brother's friends. He had just tolerated me. Tolerated me like an annoying dog, because he knew it would look even better for him if he got along with his younger brother.  
  
It was all Casey, or Cassie's fault. If only she hadn't been so. so perceptive! If she hadn't overheard that phone conversation, then I would still be living in blissful ignorance of my brother's true feelings. And it was that old man's fault, too. I didn't trust him at all.  
  
I guess the truth was, I was mad and I didn't want to blame Al. But maybe I didn't want to face the truth.  
  
"I'm walking to the mall!" I shouted, loud enough that Al could hear. Of course, he might not even tell Mom and Dad.  
  
I kicked a few pebbles on the sidewalk as I walked along. Just after having met those five strangers my world had been turned upside down.  
  
No. That wasn't accurate. Meeting those five strangers had revealed to me what a sham my brother was, and how stupid I was for trying to be like him.  
  
For a supposed smart person, I could sure be pretty stupid. 


	7. Kapitel sieben

Disclaimer: I do not own Animorphs (in the real world, that is. In my little world, everything is different).  
  
RACHEL  
  
"So then he was like "oh, okay," and I was like all embarrassed because we were sitting there not talking-"  
  
I was attempting to read a book and talk on the phone to Melissa at the same time.  
  
"And then he asked me to the dance! And of course I said yes, and-"  
  
I could probably fall off a cliff right now and it still wouldn't deter her insistent chatter.  
  
"Then John came up and asked me too! So now I'm all confused! I mean, should I go with Ben or with John? Rachel, I don't know what to do!"  
  
Oh, the difficult decisions of life, I thought wryly.  
  
"So, Rachel, you have to help me. Which one should I go with?"  
  
"I don't know, Melissa. Maybe you should go with the one you really like." I told her without any sarcasm in my voice.  
  
"But I don't know which one I really like! Rachel, how come you never have big problems like this in your life?"  
  
I rolled my eyes and glanced down at my watch. "I guess I'm just lucky, Mel. Hey, I have to go. I'll call you later to help you make your decision, okay?"  
  
"Okay Rach! Bye!"  
  
After I hung up, I felt slightly guilty for not supporting Melissa more. It was a good thing she was so oblivious, or she would have noticed that I was pretty edgy today. Then again, after that whole ordeal yesterday, didn't I have a right to be? Maybe.  
  
I stepped into my convertible and started driving.  
  
I liked driving by myself. It gave me time to think. And for some reason, I felt like I needed some time to think.  
  
My mind kept straying back to the way I had acted in front of that guy- his name had been Tobias. I hadn't meant to step in front of him like that, and to stand in front of him. But seeing him like that had snapped something inside of me.  
  
It had made me feel reckless, strong, and different. Usually I kept those different emotions hidden deep inside of me, concealed by my smiling front.  
  
But something had made me let it out. And I had just happened to let it out in front of Tobias.  
  
It was almost like I was fighting a battle against myself over who I was.  
  
Maybe today I would apologize. I didn't even know him, so maybe it had been kind of mean or wrong to do that.  
  
Then again, I had in a way saved his life. Maybe he should be thanking me.  
  
Why was I thinking like that again? No, I would say sorry to him, because that was the kind of person I was.  
  
But maybe that was part of my problem, I thought to myself as I pulled in to a parking space. I stepped out of the car and slammed the door.  
  
As I walked into the mall, I was hit with a strange realization. Maybe my problem was that I didn't know what kind of person I was.  
  
TOBIAS  
  
Why was I here? I thought to myself. I was in the mall again.  
  
Then I remembered. I was here, because I had said I was going to meet with those annoying people who I had been stuck with.  
  
But on a deeper level, I knew I was here because I wanted to get away. I wanted to escape.  
  
In school, they had taught us that people always were tempted by different things. And one of those things was the Temptation to Oblivion.  
  
That was what I was being tempted by. The temptation to escape from reality. And I was giving in to the temptation. I wanted to escape. To get away.  
  
Reality was too real.  
  
Jen was dead. So was Dan. I clenched my fists in anger, at both of them for leaving me alone. I had told them both, so many times, not to drink! And they had ignored me, thinking that I was being overcautious.  
  
Well who was overcautious now? Where had being fun-loving and wild gotten them? They were both dead. DEAD.  
  
I thought back to last night. I had walked into the house to see my uncle on the couch, a beer in one hand, staring at the TV. He had another friend over, a big guy with a beer in his hand who had ignored me. He looked up when he saw me.  
  
"Your little friend died an hour ago," He had spat at me, taking a sip of his beer.  
  
"He died after he found out that your other little friend was dead." He saw the pain he was causing me, and he liked it. In the old days, he had been able to physically injure me. He had been able to punch me, hit me with his belt, do all sorts of things.  
  
But then, I had gotten bigger and stronger. And we both knew that it was harder for him to hit me now.  
  
But that didn't mean that he stopped. Now he used words to get at me. He would get at me by telling me about what a failure I was, how stupid my parents were, how I was worth nothing.  
  
Now he had new ammunition.  
  
"You're pathetic," he had yelled. "Your friends died and you were too busy hanging out at the mall to do anything! But," he had started to sneer. "I guess they didn't know that you're just useless trash."  
  
I had ignored him and started up to my room. The words had hurt. Then I had felt something I hadn't felt for a while. I felt the red-hot pain of a crack of a belt against my back.  
  
I spun around. He knew there was no way I could get him back without getting pulverized. He had someone else on his side.  
  
So I ran upstairs. I hadn't done anything. Just like I hadn't been able to do anything when Dan had killed himself.  
  
I had wanted to just lay down and cry. But I couldn't. I wouldn't let myself. I was so overwhelmed, so lost, that I didn't know what to do. But I did know that I wasn't going to let myself cry.  
  
I snapped back to the present. Being in the mall wasn't helping me. Everything reminded me of Jen or Dan. The CD store reminded me of the crazy love Dan had for music. Even the people reminded me of how Jen always complained that the mall always had too many people in it.  
  
That's what she used to say. When she was alive.  
  
Was it possible to be dead and alive at the same time? Because that was how I felt. I felt like I was alive, but dead on the inside.  
  
No. I had to stop. Anyway, I was getting close to the food court. I adjusted my hoodie, making sure my head was covered.  
  
There they were. All five of them. Ax, Cassie, Jake, Marco, Rachel. Did I belong here with them?  
  
Did I belong with anyone?  
  
JAKE  
  
Tobias pulled up a chair, sat down at the table, and then we were all there. All six of us.  
  
I glanced briefly at Cassie. She seemed..excited. I had no idea why.  
  
Cassie smiled at all of us. "Thanks for coming," She said.  
  
"Why are we here?" Marco questioned, almost in a distrustful tone.  
  
"Well, I was thinking," Cassie paused for a moment. "I was thinking that there was no way that we all 'coincidently' got trapped together and that we've all seen that old man."  
  
"How do you know that?" Ax asked.  
  
"Well, I don't. But it just seems unlikely." Cassie answered him.  
  
"So what does that have to do with all of us being here?" Rachel asked, absently twirling a strand of long, blonde hair around a finger.  
  
"Okay, I thought that maybe we could try to come up with some ideas about this whole thing. There must be a reason for all of this. So if we all put our heads together, I'm sure we can think up something!" Cassie's voice got high with enthusiasm.  
  
There was silence.  
  
Cassie looked around at us with a begging expression on her face. "Come on guys! I'm sure that if we all work together we can figure something out! I mean, we know that the past events haven't been just chance!"  
  
"No, we don't know," Ax said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Come on!" Cassie repeated. "Guys, we can do this! Who knows, it might even be fun!" She was definitely pleading now.  
  
"No," Tobias said. The first thing he had said. "No." He turned to glare at Cassie. "This isn't a game. This is life. This is reality. This is real. Things don't always work out the way you want them to. You don't always win!" He stood up angrily. "I'm not doing this. I'm not gonna play this stupid game; I don't need more entertainment in my life!" He stormed away from the table.  
  
Rachel shot me a look, then got up and followed him.  
  
Ax nodded. "You can't prove any of the incidents that occurred were connected." He shrugged, and left the table.  
  
Marco looked at Cassie. "See? You say that we're all linked and stuff, but if that's true than how come we can't even get together for ten minutes without everyone leaving?"  
  
Cassie didn't respond.  
  
"Sometimes you have to face the facts," Marco said coldly. He too, got up and walked away.  
  
It was Cassie and me again. She put her head down on the table. "I didn't mean for it to happen like that," She whispered, almost to herself.  
  
"I'm sorry," I told her.  
  
"No, I should be sorry," She said sadly. "I was treating this whole thing like an exciting game or sport or something. It's my fault."  
  
"No it's not," I said, not knowing exactly why I was saying it. "You did your best. Maybe they were right. Maybe we just aren't supposed to be a group."  
  
Cassie raised her head. "Maybe not," She said softly. She looked into my eyes. "Jake-"  
  
"Jake! There you are!" I whipped around to see Amanda coming towards me, a bright smile on her face. Wait a minute.was I actually slightly annoyed that Amanda had come in right now? No, I couldn't have been.  
  
Amanda gave me a quick kiss. "Come on, Jake! Don't tell me you forgot what day today is!"  
  
"Happy Anniversary, Amanda," I told her, feeling a little guilty for some reason.  
  
"Let's go, Jake!" She noticed Cassie. "Hi, I'm Amanda, who are you?"  
  
"I'm Cassie."  
  
"Nice meeting you. Come on, Jake!" She pulled me away from the table and started to drag me away before I could say a word.  
  
I turned back to look at Cassie, still sitting there with her head in her hands.  
  
"Jake! Come ON!"  
  
"I'm coming." I turned to follow Amanda. 


	8. chappie eight

MARCO  
  
They were crazy. That girl Cassie? She was insane. I was glad to get away from her and all those other strange people. What had made her think that we could all form to be one happy little group of friends, anyway? She was plain insane.  
  
Like Mom, mocked the little taunting voice in the back of my head.  
  
I stopped. Mom was not insane. She wasn't. And neither was I. I hoped.  
  
I groaned, thinking of the prospect of having to walk all the way home. Walking got annoying. I wished I still had my car.  
  
Wishing was stupid. In a way, it was a form of self-pity. It was concentrating on what you didn't have. I hated self-pity. Yet at the same time, I always pitied myself. Hypocritical, I know. But you know what? I didn't care.  
  
"Need a lift?"  
  
I ignored the voice. The way my luck had been lately, it was probably Chase out to get me.  
  
"Hey, Marco, did you hear me? I said, do you need a lift?"  
  
I looked up reluctantly and was stunned. "Rosa?"  
  
She smiled, that beautiful, perfect smile. "Oh, so you do still remember me. Come on, get in. I don't have all day."  
  
Still remember her? How could I forget her? I got into the car and turned to stare out the window.  
  
For a few minutes there was silence. Rosa looked at me curiously. "What's the matter Marco? In addition to forgetting how to laugh, have you forgotten how to talk as well?"  
  
Ouch.  
  
"I don't have anything to say," I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably.  
  
"You haven't had anything to say for a long time now." She commented. "You don't talk out loud in class anymore."  
  
I shrugged and continued to admire the side of the road.  
  
"That's why we broke up, Marco, remember? You turned into a robot. You didn't talk, you didn't laugh, you didn't do anything but mope."  
  
"Are you giving me a ride or are you just gonna insult me?" I asked fiercely.  
  
"Sorry," She said.  
  
For a while, there was silence in the car, which was fine by me.  
  
"Is it cause of your mom?"  
  
I whirled around to face her. "What did you say?"  
  
She didn't flinch. "I said, is it because of your mom?"  
  
"What about my mom?" I snarled.  
  
She stopped the car in front of my apartment. "Marco, I know about your mom. I saw you going into the mental hospital. I just wanted to know, have all these changes in you been because of her?"  
  
I got out of the car and turned to face her. "There is nothing wrong with my mom. Or with me."  
  
She looked me dead in the eyes. "If you don't want to admit anything, that's fine by me. I won't tell anyone. But if you ever need somebody to talk to, you know you can always call me, Marco." Then she drove away.  
  
I watched her car swerve around the corner and disappear from sight. For some time I just stood there, silently seething. Rosa had always been so damn observant!  
  
I turned to walk back into the house. I didn't need this. I didn't need any of this.  
  
Maybe what you need is a friend, the annoying voice in the back of my mind said.  
  
I stopped and looked back in the direction that Rosa had driven off. Maybe she had been right.  
  
I walked into the house and dialed the cell phone number that I knew so well.  
  
"Rosa? I think I'm going to take you up on that offer."  
  
CASSIE  
  
I should have known that my dumb idea wouldn't work. Tobias and Marco and Ax had been right; I had treated everything like an exciting adventure to embark on. I hadn't even stopped to think whether everyone else wanted to do it. I had just assumed.  
I felt bad. I just felt like I had ruined my chance at a friendship with Rachel and Jake and Marco and Tobias and Ax.  
  
Had it all been just been wishful thinking? I had thought that for sure the events were a coincidence. I thought I had been absolutely certain about it.  
  
And what about those faint feelings I had had that seemed to say that we were all meant to be a group?  
  
Well, they were wrong. I was wrong. Our group had split up before even becoming a group. And it was all because of me.  
  
I lowered my head again in shame and failure. Those feelings must have just been me longing for friends.  
  
Maybe Mom and Dad and Tiffany had been right to worry about me. I too easily got my hopes up, just to have them crash and burn.  
  
I sat there, at the same table in the mall, lost in my thoughts.  
  
A while ago, Jake had been sitting there across from me. He had been so nice, trying to make me feel better. I think that in that short time, I had developed a small crush on him.  
  
But then his girlfriend had come up. She was kind, at least, but it wasn't like that made me feel much better.  
  
I raised my head up and sighed. What was that thing that Marco had said? Oh yeah. He had said that sometimes you needed to face the facts.  
  
Well, that was what I was going to do. I headed to the pay phone to ask my mom to come and pick me up.  
  
AX  
  
I felt lost. Both Literally and figuratively. Literally, I was roaming the mall. I had no clue where I was. Needless to say, I wasn't a mall person.  
  
Figuratively, I was lost too. I had lost my role model. Al.  
  
I know, with the way I was talking it seemed like Al was dead. It seemed like I was making a big deal over a small thing.  
  
But you see, my whole life, literally revolved around Al. Ever since I was little I had wanted to be just like him. When I was in a tough situation, I tried to concentrate by asking myself what would Al do?  
  
And now, I had lost that.  
  
People tell me that I can focus very well. They say that I am very strong in what I do as long as I have a focus, a plan.  
  
Well, Al had been my focus. And now that I knew the truth about how he felt about me, I was unfocused. Lost.  
  
Suddenly, I looked around, confused. I was back at the food court. Right back where I had begun. I almost laughed. I had simply been walking around in a circle.  
  
It struck me that if I had really been focused, I would have noted all the exits around the mall. I could have easily walked out one of them, and then I would be able to continue the route home.  
  
I had been unfocused. Lost in my thoughts. And in acting like that, I had overlooked the obvious. I had overlooked the simplest solution.  
  
That made me wonder: had I overlooked the obvious in my musing over Al?  
  
I stopped walking again. Yes, I had. I had not noticed the noticeable.  
  
What was my problem? My example for my life had been fake. What was my solution? To find a new example. Or even better: To not even have a role model! Then it was guaranteed that I would not be let down again.  
  
With this new thought, this new focus, in my mind, I began the walk home.  
  
I glanced back at the mall. Being there had helped me to solve my problems.  
  
'Maybe I am a mall person after all,' I thought to myself as I began start the brisk walk home. 


	9. chap nine

A/N: This is in response to goddess of lurv's question about the chapter titles: the titles of the chapters are all in different languages. They all just say "chapter *insert chapter number here*" .I would like to be very suave and subtlety smart by saying that they have some relation to the content of the chapters, but the simple truth is that I decided to name each chapter in a different language because I thought it seemed cool. Sorry, there was no ulterior motive, just another misguided 14-year-old's unsuccessful attempt to look multi-lingual...and which could not have been accomplished without the help of www.freetranslation.com.  
  
Disclaimer: no, as much as it pains me to say it, the Animorphs do not and never will belong to me.  
  
A/N again: sorry everyone, I have been suffering from a severe case of "mind blankness", i.e. my mind has been full of nothing but air for the past couple of years... I mean days. Therefore I apologize if the quality of the story has decreased. I blame this on my school loading me down with too much work.but that's a completely different topic. Let's get back to the story, shall we?  
  
RACHEL  
  
I followed Tobias out of the mall, not knowing exactly why I was following him. He had just left the table after getting mad, and I felt obligated to follow him. I might not be able to find out why he had left, but I could at least apologize to him like I had said I would.  
  
"Tobias, wait!"  
  
He spun around. "What do you want?"  
  
"I just wanted to apologize to you," I told him. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Okay, good." He sauntered off.  
  
"Hey, wait!" I ran after him again. "Don't you think you should apologize to me, too?"  
  
He looked at me. "No," he said simply.  
  
Now I was mad, and stressed, and annoyed. And he happened to be in my way. "I'm trying to be nice here, okay?" I yelled. "If you could stop being so into your stupid problems maybe you could realize that!"  
  
He stopped and stared at me again.  
  
I kept going. All the rage that I had carried bottled up was being let out. "I bet your problems aren't even that big anyway!"  
  
"My problems are bigger than you will ever know," he told me quietly.  
  
"Then tell me! Tell me what big problems you have that were enough to make you want to kill yourself!" I shouted.  
  
"No! You don't care! No one does! Not Jen, and not Dan! If they had cared, then they wouldn't have left me alone!"  
  
I started to retort, when I noticed something glistening on his cheek. Was he crying?  
  
You know how in books and movies people always say that something came over them and made them do whatever it was that they did? Well something like that happened to me.  
  
Some ulterior force came upon me. I slowly reached up and pushed his hood off his head.  
  
I was amazed. The hood had cast a shadow on his face. Now I saw tousled dirty-blonde hair, and sharp blue eyes that looked as if they had held a lot of pain. Yes, in short, Tobias was really cute.  
  
And there was a tear. There was a solitary tear on his cheek. He brushed it off and abruptly turned around to leave.  
  
But I couldn't let him leave! He was so mysterious, and I felt like I was so close to pulling off that cloak of secrecy that surrounded him.  
  
"Tobias!" I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "I care."  
  
TOBIAS  
  
"I care!" The Barbie-girl had exclaimed. That phrase stopped me. I turned around again.  
  
How could she care? She didn't even know me. No one had cared about me. And all the people that had had left me.  
  
But as I faced her, I saw something else under that flawless skin, perfect hair, and pretty face. I saw sincerity. Like she actually meant what she said.  
  
Should I trust her? Should I believe her?  
  
As I debated in my head, Barbie-girl came up to me. No, that wasn't her name. Her name was Rachel.  
  
"Why would you care?" I asked Rachel.  
  
"I don't know," She said. "I just do. And you need someone to care about you." She bit her lip. "Do you think you could tell me about your problems?"  
  
I don't know what made me comply. But I needed to talk. I needed to talk about my life and about Jen and Dan and everything.  
  
So I told her. I sat down, and she sat next to me, and I told her.  
  
And when I was done, she simply said that phrase again. "I care."  
  
And after all this time, all this time that I had been dead inside, not able to feel true emotions, something in me opened up. And after all this time that I had refused to let myself, I finally relented and I cried.  
  
I sat there and cried. And when I was done, I wiped my eyes and I looked up. And she was still there.  
  
JAKE  
  
It had been a month. A month since I had last seen the people I had been trapped in a store in the mall with.  
  
I still went back to the mall. But I won't lie; I still had some wary feelings. Let's just say that whenever I went to the mall I made sure to bring a cell phone and a very small flash light with me.  
  
Better to be safe than sorry.  
  
I was still going out with Amanda. She was still the same sweet, pretty, nice girl that she had always been. Some things, thankfully, never change.  
  
But a month after the whole incident, I was bored. My friends all had homework, Amanda was busy, so I decided to take a walk.  
  
I headed over to the park. When I was little, I used to love going there to play. I used to love to stand on the very top of the jungle-gym, and look down at everything. I had felt powerful, in control, and like I was the king of the world.  
  
I hummed a little tune to myself as I walked, lost in thoughts.  
  
"Jake?"  
  
I looked around to see Cassie staring at me in disbelief. "No way!" She said. "Hey Cassie," I said.  
  
"Jake you aren't going to believe this," She said. "Look." My gaze followed the direction of her finger, and my mouth almost dropped open.  
  
There, by the swings, were four other people. Marco. Rachel. Ax. Tobias.  
  
And me and Cassie.  
  
"This is crazy," I said as we walked towards them. Once we approached them, asked, "Did you guys all plan to meet here?"  
  
They all shook their heads.  
  
"See?" Cassie said excitedly. "There's no way that this is a coincidence. It's impossible."  
  
"It is highly improbable," Ax admitted.  
  
Cassie turned to Marco. "See, Marco? You said, about a month ago, that sometimes people need to face facts. Maybe this is one of those facts, and we all need to face it!"  
  
She turned back to the rest of us. "Guys, I know this sounds really corny, but I think we're meant to be together! Come on, put your hand in if you agree!"  
  
She stuck her hand out in the middle of the group.  
  
Marco surprisingly slapped his hand on top of hers. "Okay, even I can see that this is more than mere chance." He smiled, something I hadn't seen him do.  
  
Tobias nodded. I noticed that he for once wasn't covering his head. He stuck his hand in too. "Cassie's right," He said.  
  
Rachel smiled. But this was a different kind of smile than her normal pretty one. This one had, if it was possible, a hint of danger in it. She glanced up quickly at Tobias. "Let's do it!"  
  
Ax didn't say anything, but simply put his hand on top of all the others.  
  
They all turned to look at me then. I was the only one who hadn't agreed yet.  
  
This was crazy! What exactly were we all agreeing to, anyway? And after we stuck our hands in, what happened? Were we supposed to instantly become friends or something?  
  
"Jake?" Cassie questioned.  
  
Maybe I needed to do this. Maybe I was connected to these five strangers somehow. It sounded crazy, and it probably wasn't true, but what did I have to lose?  
  
I put my hand on top of all of theirs. "I'm in."  
  
DO YOU SEE, JAKE? 


	10. The Last, Final, Ultimate, most wonderfu...

DO YOU SEE, JAKE?  
  
Suddenly I was back in my room. It was late. I was staring at myself in the mirror, holding a knife in one hand.  
  
All of the memories came back to me. The battle. The Yeerks. Tom. My life.  
  
DO YOU SEE?  
  
"No, I don't see!" I yelled. "You stick me in some other timeline where Yeerks don't even exist and everything is different, then you bring me back here and ask me if I see! And I don't! I don't see! I don't get it! Do you hear me, Ellimist? I don't get it!"  
  
There was no response. But it felt like in the air there was expectance. Like he was expecting me to say something, or do something.  
  
Then it clicked. "I was supposed to learn something from that, wasn't I?"  
  
YES.  
  
"Well I don't get it! I still don't understand!"  
  
WHAT DO YOU NEED, JAKE?  
  
I was startled. What kind of question was that? What did I need? I thought back to the whole experience I had just been through. It had felt so real. I thought back to everything that had happened in that other world, from having a different girlfriend to being trapped in the mall with the other Animorphs. And I thought back to the very end, when we had all stuck our hands in and truly became a team. And then I realized.  
  
"My friends. I need my friends."  
  
YES.  
  
He was right. I did. But there was something more.  
  
"They need me too."  
  
YES.  
  
So that was why I had gone through all of that. So the Ellimist could say that technically, he hadn't really interfered. All he had done was show me a different life. I had come to the revelation by myself, and I was the one who had chosen not to kill myself after all.  
  
"That's what we're fighting for, right? So that normal people can have normal lives."  
  
YES.  
  
I put the knife back down. Suddenly I was exhausted. I was ready to go to sleep. But before I fell asleep, I still had something to tell the Ellimist.  
  
"Hey, Ellimist? Thanks."  
  
I could swear I heard a faint "You're welcome," in the voice of an old man. 


End file.
